Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has put forward three venues for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy as they eagerly prepare to host the prestigious ICC Champions Trophy. With anticipation mounting, the PCB unveiled Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi as potential venues to the ICC committee.
The apex cricket board of the country settled on the venues and the schedule following a visit from an ICC team to conduct inspections.
The exact dates for the tournament that will feature 8 teams have not been confirmed yet, however, it is expected that Pakistan will host the mega-event for two weeks, next year.
However, the initial draft for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy includes all matches, including the matches of arch-rivals India that will be played in Pakistan.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said at a press conference in Lahore, that the schedule of the ICC Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan has been sent to the ICC.
The PCB Chairman assured that the renovation of the stadiums will speed up gradually while admitting that t
he progress of the renovations is quite slow at the moment, however, he claimed that the stadiums will be renovated in the next 5 months.
Naqvi confirmed that the meeting with the ICC security team concluded on a positive note and the cricket board will also share stadium upgrade plans with them.
International companies will visit Pakistan on May 7 after which they will contact local consultants to finalize the designs of the stadium ahead of the mega event.
Ultimately, the decision lay in the hands of the ICC, but for Pakistanis, the prospect of welcoming the first ICC tournament back to their shores was already a victory.
This will be the first Champions Trophy in 8 years where Pakistan are expected to defend the title that they clinched in 2017 under the leadership of Sarfraz Ahmed.
Source: Pro Pakistani